Parliamentary questions
Alexander Burnett
1,406 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any requirements for CCTV in psychiatric hospitals to include sound.
Answer · Maree Todd: There are no current or planned future requirements for CCTV in psychiatric hospitals in Scotland to include sound.
12 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be provided to the public audit of fracture liaison services in Scotland, and when it will be reported on.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the Fracture Liaison Service audit and, following the completion of a scoping exercise currently being undertaken by Public Health Scotland, will provide funding. The Scottish Government has advised the Roy…
11 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17402 by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023, how much support has been given to bus operators for the purchase of new buses in the last three years; how many of any such new buses have had sufficient space for bike transport, and what conditionality for bi…
Answer · Kevin Stewart: A total of £85.9m has been awarded to bus operators to support the purchase of new battery electric buses through rounds of the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Challenge Fund, and 26 of these new buses have space for tran…
10 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that its statutory environmental and forestry agencies are sufficiently resourced to deliver and support effective invasive species control programs to help protect Scotland's native biodiversity and commercial forestry sector.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Invasive non-native species (INNS) are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. They require a strong partnership approach over the long term to ensure their effective control. The draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy contains a Priority Action to ‘Impl…
10 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will help to ensure a future for the red squirrel by resourcing the continued delivery of landscape-wide invasive grey squirrel control following the end of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Transition Project in March 2024.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As outlined in response to question S6W-14224 on 24 January 2023 it remains a priority for the Scottish Government to ensure the important work undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels continues. NatureScot, Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotla…
5 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which ministers granted approval for the four settlement agreement cases that exceeded the £95,000 cap, as referenced in its annual report on the use of settlement agreements, April 2021 to March 2022.
Answer · Shona Robison: All four settlement cases were dealt with in accordance with the procedure set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Business cases for the proposed settlements were submitted to the relevant Cabinet Secretary at that time: Cabinet Secretary for Educatio…
3 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm whether NHS boards remain responsible for the running of pharmacotherapy and community treatment and care (CTAC) services; whether pharmacotherapy services will continue to be carried out in GP practices, in light of transitionary services arrangements being disco…
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Boards are responsible for providing support to GP practices by providing Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) and Pharmacotherapy services and regulations were amended in 2022 to reflect this change. On account of the variation in the extent of implementa…
26 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16100 by Neil Gray on 6 April 2023, what the (a) process and (b) timeframe is for producing new guidance following the review of ETSU-R-97.
Answer · Neil Gray: The current ETSU guidance should continue to be followed by applicants and used by decision makers to assess and rate noise from wind energy developments. The WSP report, commissioned on behalf of the UK Government, provides some recommendations for updates t…
26 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to updating guidance on exclusion zones around onshore wind turbines, in light of any increase in the size and potential danger of turbines.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) signals a turning point for planning, placing climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and making clear our support for all forms of renewable, low-carbon and zero emission technologies. NPF4 policy 11 makes…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it has given to mapping ticks in Scotland, in a similar way to avalanches via the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, in light of reports of a serious tick-borne disease being discovered in the UK.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The identification of one probable case of tick-born encephalitis (TBE) in Scotland is insufficient evidence to conclude that there has been a significant change to the risk to human health in Scotland from TBE. On 5 April, the HAIRS group published an updat…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the risk of infection in Scotland of the tick-borne encephalitis virus, which has been detected in the UK and reportedly can be fatal, in light of the UK Health Security Agency recommendation to implement changes to testing in hospital so that new cases can…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to monitoring the risk and prevention of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus. The identification of one probable case of TBE in Scotland is insufficient evidence to conclude that there has been a significant change to…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to raise awareness of Lyme disease, and to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on raising awareness of Lyme disease and ticks. The Scottish Government-led Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Group will run the Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Campaign in May 2023 to coincide with Nat…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-01991 by Kevin Stewart on 9 March 2023, when it expects to respond in full to the National Autism Implementation Team’s findings that are set out in the March 2023 publication, Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways: Report on Actions, Outcomes and Recom…
Answer · Maree Todd: The former Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Kevin Stewart, wrote to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 23 March to inform them that the Scottish Government was happy to accept all 10 of the recommendations made by the National Autism Impl…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with autistic people, and other neurodivergent groups, in light of the March 2023 publication, Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways: Report on Actions, Outcomes and Recommendations from Pathfinder Sites in Scotland.
Answer · Maree Todd: Engaging with people with lived experience, including autistic people, and other neurodivergent groups, is essential to the work of the Scottish Government and we have put person-centred approaches at the heart of our work. We have commissioned the National …
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many homes had an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A to C in 2010, and how many it estimates will have a rating of A to C by the end of 2023.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The methodology used to assess dwellings’ EPCs is adjusted over time to update modelling assumptions and reflect changes in technology. According to our National Statistics publication on the conditions of the housing stock, the Scottish House Condition Surve…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to make buses more accessible for cyclists.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Legislation on accessibility and public transport remains reserved to the UK Parliament and is set out in the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) and enforced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The Scottish Governmen…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to make it easier to store bicycles on buses.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The provision of local bus services is a matter for individual bus operators who use their own commercial judgement on conditions of carriage in the open de-regulated market, as established by the Transport Act 1985. A number of operators of bus and coach se…
19 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many police stations have been closed down in the area covered by Police Scotland’s North East division since the force’s foundation in 2013.
17 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16174 by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023, what the recorded success rate was of tree planting along the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route in year (a) one, (b) two and (c) three of the Establishment Period.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: A success rate of tree planting is not recorded as such. The planting is designed to deliver specific objectives such as landscape integration, screening/shelter, and ecological enhancement etc. However, this does not necessarily mean 100% of the stock plante…
17 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16175 by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023, how much replacement planting is planned along the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route for trees that have failed to become properly established.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The planting is designed to deliver specific objectives such as landscape integration, screening/shelter, and ecological enhancement etc. However, this does not necessarily mean 100% of the stock planted needs to establish in order to achieve the objectives. …
11 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of households that have received the Winter Heating Payment in Aberdeenshire.
3 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15682 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2023, whether Education Scotland school inspection guidelines are enforced, and, if so, whose responsibility it is to do so, in light of this information not being published on the Education Scotland webs…
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The purpose of the guidelines which HM Inspectors publish are designed to support schools to prepare for an inspection. The guidelines describe how inspection teams work in particular sectors or areas of provision. This guidance sets out what to expect from a…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm what guidance is in place for NHS boards regarding Freedom of Information requests.
Answer · George Adam: NHS Boards are each distinct Scottish public authorities for the purposes of FOI legislation and each one is responsible for its own compliance with its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Section 60 Code of Practi…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what testing it plans to carry out of its proposed new tiered system of agricultural support, prior to its full roll-out.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is committed to a service design approach to policy making involving user-centred co-development. Appropriate testing and measurement will be applied at each stage of development and following implementation of measures to evaluate the…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect biodiversity in Scottish waters from the invasive signal crayfish species.
Answer · Lorna Slater: A review of distribution and management options for American signal crayfish in Scotland was carried out under the Species Action Framework . This concluded that introductions of this invasive species can lead to permanent, adverse, changes in the ecology o…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact of reintroducing wildcats to the Cairngorms.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Since wildcats are already present in the Cairngorms, any proposal to release wildcats in this area would be a translocation project to reinforce the existing population, rather than a reintroduction. The ‘Saving Wildcats’ project submitted a licence applica…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will update its website to reflect that its Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate no longer has input in the development of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: This update has already been made. One sentence on the ARE Directorate home page was found to be out of date. After discovering that was the case, it was removed immediately. We have added the page to our regular review schedule.
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to reintroduce lynx into Scotland, and, if so, what assessment it has made of any potential impact that this would have on livestock.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As I set out in my recent answer to S6W-16591 on 26 April 2023, the Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland. However, the Scottish Government is aware that appropriate species reintroductions c…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any contingency plans that have been created in the event that avian flu starts infecting mammals in Scotland, in light of reports that avian flu is killing thousands of sea lions in Peru.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Avian influenza in mammals is a notifiable disease and Scottish Ministers have powers to investigate and control the potential spread of influenza of avian origin in non-avian species. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) routinely undertakes diagnostic…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce a three-mile fishing limit around the coast of Scotland.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has been clear that we have no plans to introduce a three-mile fishing limit around the coast of Scotland. Such blanket spatial restrictions are not consistent with an evidence-based approach, do not embrace the benefits of new techno…